Meat Rewrite
by forsaken2003
Summary: Gwen comes charging into the Hub demanding Rhys not be retcon. When Jack gives in Ianto can't keep his mouth shut any longer.


Title: Meat Rewrite  
Author: Forsaken2003  
Pairing: S/X  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: I own none, all belong to Russell T. Davis  
Comments: Always welcomed!  
Summary: Gwen comes charging into the Hub demanding Rhys not be retcon. When Jack gives in Ianto can't keep his mouth shut any longer.  
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 2  
Beta'd by: Unbeta'd

Jack took a sip from his bottle of water as he grabbed another book. Owen was at his desk actually working for once, Tosh at her desk doing the same. Ianto was standing watching Jack.

The cog door opened sounding the alarms, as Gwen stormed in. "I'm not doing it. I won't drug him." She said as she stomped past Tosh. 

"You have to," Tosh said as she turned in a circle watching as Gwen walked up to Jack.

"You can't allow him to remember," Owen said seriously. Torchwood didn't have many rules but the ones they did have were there for a reason.

Ianto walked up behind Jack. "It's the rules."

"But none of you have any partners outside of this," Gwen said as she pointed to each of her teammates. 

"But we understand how you feel," Jack said sounding strongly on the subject.

Ianto's mouth was open slightly upset with what Gwen had said.

"No, you don't," Gwen said with a disgusted look on her face that they could possibly understand how she feels. "No, you don't, Jack! You all think it's cold and lonely out there. But it isn't for me because I have him. He matters. And I've lied to him for long enough. What he did today was so brave." She turned to look at Owen and Tosh. "Braver than any of us because we signed up for this. But he didn't!" She turned back to Jack and pounded on her chest. "He did it because he loves me, and I won't take that away from him! I won't! And if that means I have to quit or you retcon me or whatever, then fine, fine." Gwen through her arms up dramatically.

Jack tossed the water bottle to Ianto who caught it easily and stalked over to Gwen. "You really think you could go back to your old life before Torchwood?" He asked as he stared her down. 

Gwen stared back at him and didn't answer for at least ten seconds. "I wouldn't know anything different." 

"I would," Jack said as he continued to stare at her. His jaw tensed. Gwen gave him her big doe eyes. "Give Rhys my love, and I will see you tomorrow," he said obviously angry that he lost this battle.

Gwen stared at him a few seconds more before she turned around and started towards the cog door.

"Wait one bloody moment!" Ianto said.

Gwen paused and turned to stare at Ianto like everyone else. "Ianto?"

"What gives you the right to come in here and makes us feel bad about our lives?" Ianto demanded to know. He then turned to Jack. "And don't you think we should all discuss this? This is about all of us. This is not the bloody Gwen Cooper show! As much as she likes to think she's the only one that matters here Rhys knowing could hurt Tosh, Owen and I. Does that not fucking matter?!" Ianto yelled. "Is Gwen the only one important to you because you'd think it would be the person you're in a relationship with!"

Gwen's mouth open and closed several times. There was just so much that Ianto had just said that she was trying to wrap around her head. "Ianto, you don't understand…"

"What I don't understand is how the supposed heart of the team can be such a self-centered person," Ianto interrupted. "How the hell is that supposed to make the rest of us feel, Gwen? To know that it is almost impossible to start a relationship with someone while we do what we do. You were lucky to already have Rhys in your life," Ianto ranted. "You claim how good of man he is but if he was that great why would you start sleeping with Owen?"

Owen's mouth fell open. How did he get dragged into this? "Ianto…"

Ianto held up his hand. "You weren't in a relationship it had nothing to do with you that she was cheating on this 'great' guy. Or how you continued your relationship with Owen even though you knew Tosh had a thing for him?"

"Ianto!" Tosh yelled. She couldn't believe he had just said that. She turned her head away when Owen stared at her with wide eyes. She closed her eyes to stop the tears.

"I'm sorry, Tosh, I really am. I don't mean to embarrass you but I know I am not the only one sick of it being all about Gwen," Ianto said. On the topic of Owen he turned to him. "And for God sakes man! Tosh was asking you out to spend time with just you. How bloody dense can a bloke be?"

Owen's eyes were glued on Tosh. Had she really been asking him out? How could he have missed that? He thought he was more observant than that. "Tosh?"

"We were talking about me… I mean the team," Gwen corrected herself.

"Yes, we were. Yours and Jack's favorite subject," Ianto spat out. "Jack, we are a team. Not one of us is more important than the others. I don't care if Rhys gets retconned or not. If something happens that is on you and Gwen but she should be punished!"

Gwen crossed her arms over her chest. "For what?"

"For disobeying orders. You made the situation worse by letting Dale and the others know how many of us there was. If you would have given me a chance I would have convinced him there was just Rhys and me while you guys thought of a plan which didn't entitle anyone getting shot," Ianto informed her. "You should have trusted the rest of us to figure something out."

"Rhys had a gun to his head! How was I supposed to ignore that?" Gwen demanded to know.

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "I had a gun held on me as well. Was I scared? Of course I was but I trusted the rest of you to come up with a plan. If you don't trust us then you shouldn't be here."

"He's right," Jack said quietly.

"Jack!" Gwen said, clearly hurt that Jack wasn't siding with her. "You always agree with me."

Jack shook his head. "No, I don't. I let you get away with so many things because you are the most stubborn person I know and I'd know you'd just go behind my back and do what you want anyway. But Ianto is right. That has to stop. You are not more important that the rest of us and from now on when you do something wrong you will end up on suspension just like everyone else. Starting now." 

"Jack, that's not fair! I was saving my fiancée. You would have done the same thing," Gwen defended herself.

"Did you forget the part where Jack and Ianto are shagging?" Owen asked. At some point he had stood up and moved closer to Tosh who seemed to be ignoring everyone. "But unlike you, Jack didn't panic. He kept a level head to keep both Ianto and Rhys safe."

"I'm sorry, kids," Jack said. "I've had my head up my ass. Things are going to change. From now on if we aren't agreed about something we talk it out. All of us. Starting with what we do about Rhys."

Gwen pulled her doe eyes out again. Silently begging them to let her have her way.

"Since we already know where you and Jack stand I think Owen, Tosh and I should have a discussion of our own," Ianto said taking control of the situation.

"That's fair," Jack replied. "Feel free to use my office."

Tosh nodded and walked passed both Jack and Gwen with her head down. Owen and Ianto shot each other a look and followed after her.

Jack and Gwen sat down not knowing how long this would take.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Gwen said. "I wasn't thinking."

"You were but you were thinking with your heart as always," Jack told her locking his eyes with hers.

Gwen frowned. "I thought that was why you hired me."

"I did but that doesn't mean you shouldn't think with your head once in a while. The rest of us don't always use our heads. And when we didn't we messed up… a lot," Jack told her.

Gwen thought back to Lisa, Mary, Diane and Tommy. Each other those people made the others use their heart. She looked at Jack. "You're right. What about you though?"

"I learned a long time ago not to think with my head. But that doesn't mean I don't care about people. And that I wouldn't lay my life on the line for any one of you," Jack said.

Ten minutes later Owen, Tosh and Ianto retreated from Jack's office. Gwen instantly stood up. "Well?" She said realizing she sounded extremely impatiently.

The three stood there silently dragging out the tension intentionally. "Rhys can remember," Tosh finally said.

Gwen squealed and hugged each of them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"There is a catch," Owen said.

The smile disappeared from Gwen's face. "What is it?"

"If he blabs anything Torchwood to his mates we recton him immediately," Owen said.

"He'll also be on probation," Ianto added. "For three months we are going to watching his every move using CCTV. We see him doing anything suspicious we retcon him." That had been his idea and the others agreed that it was a good idea.

"What? You can't be serious! That means you're going to be spying not only on Rhys but me as well!" Gwen turned to Jack. "Jack…"

Jack held up his hand. "If that's what they feel will make them feel safe about this than that's what's going to happen. Or we can retcon him today."

Gwen clenched her jaw. Finally she nodded in agreement. "Fine. Three months and that's it!"

"Go home everyone," Jack said with a clap of his hands.

Gwen was the first one gone. Tosh practically ran to her desk to get her purse and hopefully leave before anyone else talked to her. Of course that didn't work.

"Tosh?" Owen said. He watched as she froze her back to him. When he realized she wasn't going to look or speak to him he decided to continue. "I thought maybe we could go to the pub and play that game of pool and you know… maybe talk?"

Jack and Ianto watched with interest as Tosh slowly turned around and studied Owen's face trying to figure out if he was having a laugh at her. She looked at him for a solid minute before answering. "Y-Yeah." She turned to Jack and Ianto and nodded to them before leaving with Owen.

"I'm going to have to make this up to her," Ianto said more to himself than to Jack. He shook his head. "I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

When Ianto went to walk past Jack his arm was gripped. "Don't call me that."

Ianto raised his eyebrow. "I thought you liked it when I called you 'sir'?"

"Not when you say it like that," Jack said quietly. "Not when you're mad at me."

Ianto didn't reply though he did look down at Jack's hand that was still on his arm. "I'd like to go home now. It's been a long day and all I want to do is sleep."

"Stay here," Jack requested.

"Jack, I don't know if that's a good idea." Ianto looked at Jack's crestfallen face. "Not tonight anyway."

Jack's hand dropped. "I'm so sorry. I've been an ass. Things are going to change though. I only wish someone would have told me what I was doing a long time ago." 

Ianto sighed. "It's not your fault. Everyone has their favorite employee. There is always favoritism in the work place."

"That not was that was," Jack argued. "Gwen's different from the rest of us."

"Jack, if you are going to go at the spiel of her being the heart of the group I'm leaving right now," Ianto said getting upset.

"I'm not!" Jack said quickly. "What I mean is, I know the rest of you will follow my lead. Even Owen who will moan about some of my decisions in the end he goes with it. Gwen if she doesn't like something because it's not the way she'd do it, turns it into a fight. And if things don't go her way like it almost didn't tonight she'd quit. You, Tosh and Owen don't play those games," Jack explained. "Despite that, we all make a good team and I don't want to lose anyone."

Ianto sighed. "You're right. We do make a good team. No more letting Gwen off easy though, Jack. I mean it. I like my job and I love you but I won't continue to work like we have been. She's going to get one of us killed if she doesn't change."

Jack stared at Ianto. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "You love me?" He paused. "You'd leave?"

"Yes, I do love you. You and Gwen seem to be the only ones who didn't know," Ianto said putting his hands on his hips. "And yes I would leave… retcon myself," he corrected. "I understand that this job is dangerous but I won't let a member of this team be the reason I end up in the cryochamber with Suzie and the others. I'm fine with an alien killing me I'm not fine with it being someone I'm supposed to trust to have my back."

"That's not going to happen!" Jack exclaimed and wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist. "Nothing is going to happen to you. I swear things are going to change for the better. We'll all be happier from now on."

Ianto sagged against Jack suddenly exhausted. Having a gun pointed at your head would do that. "Let's go to bed."

Jack nodded and helped Ianto into his over and led him into his bedroom. Once they were undressed and under the covers Jack wrapped his arm around Ianto's waist and buried his face into Ianto's neck. He pulled away and looked at Ianto. "You didn't say anything about me not telling you I love you."

"I don't care if you tell me or not. Or if you even do love me." Ianto replied with his eyes closed. "I said it because I wanted you to know."

"What?" Jack asked confused.

Ianto opened his tired eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just I've had a lot of people in my long life tell me that they loved me and most of them got upset when I didn't reciprocate. One time this guy stabbed me in the stomach with a fork. He was a little unbalanced but damn was he good in bed," Jacked explained.

Ianto pried one of his eyes open. "I have no intention of trying to kill you. You feel how you feel. It's my decision to stay with you. I like what we have." He yawned. "Can we sleep now?"

Jack grinned. Leave it to Ianto to not over think the 'talk'. "And that's why I love you Ianto Jones."

Now both of Ianto's eyes were open. He had not expecting that. "Really?"

"Really. You're not like anyone I've ever known. You don't push me to tell you where I was when I left you all or who this mysterious doctor is, or why I can't die." Jack paused. "You take me for me. No one's ever done that before."

"No one's perfect. We all have our faults. We all make mistakes. It doesn't matter how old the universe is it's always going to be like that. All we can do is accept that and move on. If we don't none of us will ever be happy," Ianto mumbled as he tried to stay awake.

The smile never left Jack's face as he leaned in and kissed Ianto's lips. "You are an incredible man, Ianto."

"I try," Ianto said. "Now if you don't let me sleep I'm putting you on decaf for a month."

Jack didn't say anything for the next eight hours.

The End


End file.
